Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Ending the year with a bang! (read: finally posting)

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?Started grad school.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?I don't really make "resolutions". It's more like... a "Let's see if I can keep this going". But things like "I will lose 20 pounds this next year"?? Not so much. (although I'd like to lose more than that if resolutions are wishes and there is a fairy out there granting them...)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?Nope.

4. Did anyone close to you die?Not to ME. But people who are close to me, had people die who were close to them. :(

5. What countries did you visit?Alabama. Texas.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?A clean house. More to the point, a clutter-free house.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?Hmmm..... I'm not sure there were any significant single dates this year....

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?See #1. I started grad school.

9. What was your biggest failure?I am a few pounds heavier at the end of the year than I was at the beginning. Clearly the Resolution Fairy doesn't exist.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?Nothing major.

11. What was the best thing you bought?Hmmm.... I'm hoping it's the Pilates Reformer that's still in the box that came last week. I gotta clear a space for it. Hopefully I'll use it at least as much as my MacBookPro (which is also a really cool thing I bought this year)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?Well.... I think both of the girls' behavior. They are well mannered, considerate and generally pleasant to be around. And since they are both teenagers, I think that merits celebration!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?Wall Street.

14. Where did most of your money go?The care and feeding of the house and the people inside. The IRS gets a mighty large chunk too.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?I think the traveling I/We did. Alabama and Texas.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?"All Summer Long" - Kid Rock. Probably because of the one evening Emma's friend Brooklyn was with us in the car and the song came on the radio. The four of us started singing along and acting like our usual goofy selves. Brooklyn joined in. Brooklyn became my new BFF! Gotta love a teen who joins in with another family's goofy-ness!!!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:a) happier or sadder? I think more apprehensive is the best descriptor. Job insecurity still looms.b) thinner or fatter? Fatter. Gotta get that Reformer out of the box!c) richer or poorer? Holding steady.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?Exercising. Those size 8 jeans are still mocking me from atop my dresser. I suppose I could put them in a drawer and shut them up....

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?Wasting time.

20. How did you spend Christmas?With my family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?No. Just still am....

22. What was your favorite TV program?Favorite? Hard to pick a FAVORITE. Big Bang Theory, however, is a new Must See TV.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?I endeavor not to hate anyone. But yea.... Sarah Palin can go away now.

24. What was the best book you read?For FUN? Well.... I DO have a thing for Alex Delaware. He's hot. But our affair ended when grad school began. Jonathan Kellerman sent me a new Alex Delaware novel and it's still in the box, sitting on the stairs.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?I don't think I have a "great" discovery in 2008. I just keep collecting stuff I like. I did acquire quite a bit of P!nk this year. But that's not a "discovery"... that's just a new album. Although I did discover it is VERY fun to play something on my iPod and surprise my children that I like "that". It is even MORE enjoyable for them to eventually hear their peers play the same music and for them to say "my mom's been listening to that for MONTHS, it's not new....". Crack me up!

26. What did you want and get?A new job.

27. What did you want and not get?A job with benefits.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?I can't remember what I saw in the theater this year....

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?We went to a Monarchs game. I was 42.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?Norm getting a Job with a W-2, taxes withheld, paid vacation and benefits.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?Must ask the resident fashion expert.... According to Emma it is: "Younger. Than yourself. Kinda like 20's or 30's." Ok....so there you go. She's the one to know these things.

32. What kept you sane?My friends.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?Besides George Clooney?? ;) Barak Obama.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?Oh good glory..... How much time do you have? I think it can pretty much be summed up by the fact that I have a countdown to the Presidential Inauguration on my dashboard. We need a regime change like yesterday.

35. Who did you miss?I don't think I'm missing anyone.

36. Who was the best new person you met?Oh wow. I met a LOT of people this past year. Maybe the biggest surprise would be Rene (cause I don't have enough Renee/Rene named people in my life). I didn't know her at all and now I'd count her as one of my best buds.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.I found this quote by John "The Wizard of Westwood" Wooden:

“Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.”

I think that sums up how I've tried to live my life this year. Don't rest on your laurels. Don't worry about failing. Having the courage to try is what really matters. So I got a real job and I started grad school....

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year."Count your blessings now before they're all gone"

Or

"What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street? Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep? What do you feel when you look in the mirror? Are you proud?"

1 comment:

Nancy -- We have more in common than I realized! Big Bang AND Alex Delaware? You're like my long lost sister or something!! I enjoyed your post. Now to make my list of wishes for the resolution fairy...